Rampant Arsenal grow old gracefully

ARSENE WENGER turns 58 today and he will be celebrating the only way he knows how: by watching football.

Tuning into Newcastle versus Tottenham Hotspur might not be every man’s idea of a perfect birthday but, for one of the game’s great obsessives, it is the only option. “It’s a day like every other day,” he observed. “I was never a great celebrator of birthdays so I will have a quiet night in and maybe a glass of wine. Luckily my wife enjoys football.”

Birthdays are ominous reminders of the passage of time, but Wenger — for all the deep wrinkles and silver shock of hair — has no reason to fear the future. He is being kept young by the blossoming talents in his third great Arsenal side and, while this was far from a picture-book performance, it did prove that the north Londoners have the stomach for a Premier League title fight.

At face value, this was the sort of victory any contender should consider routine: a nonchalant swatting of managerless opponents who have spent the last five months mired in turmoil. Yet Wenger knows better than anyone the significance of the statement made by this latest triumph, the 13th in 14 matches this season.

Bolton have long been the Frenchman’s biggest bogeyman. Meetings with them since they regained their top flight status under Sam Allardyce have been gruesome, grouchy affairs, punctuated by ugly spats and barbed comments from both sides.

More often than not, Wenger was left nursing the furrowed brow so when his young team spent most of the first 45 minutes on Saturday attempting to out-scrap rather than out-play their opponents — to palpably little effect — he would have been forgiven a few flutters of discomfort. That they rediscovered their poise in a polished second-half display suggests this team is maturing at a frightening rate.

Wenger remarked afterwards that Arsenal’s ability to stand firm against Bolton’s brawn proved that “the time when we could be bullied is certainly over.” While Cesc Fabregas, for one, would be well advised to try and stick to his purist principles rather than attempting to rule by the jackboot — the Spaniard was one of a clutch of players who veered dangerously close to a red card during a bad-tempered first half — this was the most eloquent of ripostes to those who doubted their resolve.

“I think last season we dropped points in games like this,” Kolo Toure, the centre-half, said, “but this season we have shown resilience and that proves we have the spirit and determination to make it. We are more mature now.”

Toure is one of the Roundheads in Wenger’s collection of cavaliers but, as the manager pointed out, he has become the team’s totem. He comfortably mopped up whatever threats Bolton could muster — aided and abetted by the excellent Gael Clichy — and even registered a rare goal with a 25-yard free-kick which skimmed through the legs of Abdoulaye Meite and past an unsighted Jussi Jaaskelainen.

The points might have been made safe by Emmanuel Adebayor shortly afterwards but the erratic Togoese — having one of his Frank Spencer days — fell over having rounded Jaaskelainen. Instead, Tomas Rosicky applied the coup de grace, flicking in a cut-back from Theo Walcott, who impressed following his introduction as a second-half substitute. With Robin van Persie injured and Eduardo da Silva out of sorts here, the 18-year-old’s reward is likely to be a starting place in tomorrow’s Champions League encounter with Slavia Prague.

Bolton’s failure to bloody Arsenal’s upturned noses served as yet another reminder of how they miss Allardyce and while Kevin Nolan, the midfielder, insisted he was “sick” of being asked about the effect of losing him, supporters are only now beginning to realise how privileged they were during his tenure.

Wanderers have failed to put a foot right since. Sammy Lee’s appointment as Allardyce’s successor always appeared ill-fated and the rumours of dressing room discord and splits among the coaching staff were grimly inevitable. His sacking last week was arguably long overdue.

Nolan is alleged to have been one of the prime movers in the anti-Lee camp, although he was toeing a diplomatic line on Saturday. “We’re all disappointed,” he said. “Sammy Lee has been a major part of this club for the past three years, but these decisions are made from upstairs and we just have to go along with it.

“I think we have to realise that it’s always going to be difficult to step into Sam Allardyce’s shoes. It’s probably the toughest job outside the top four. But of course we, as players, take full responsibility. Now it’s about us now getting together, sticking together and having the guts to do it.”

ARSENAL (4-4-2): Almunia 6, Sagna 6, Toure 7, Gallas 6, Clichy 8, Eboue 5 (Rosicky 62, 7), Fabregas 6, Flamini 5, Hleb 5 (Diaby 88, 6), Eduardo 6 (Walcott 62, 6), Adebayor 5.

Subs not used: Gilberto, Fabianski.

BOLTON (4-1-4-1): Jaaskelainen 6, J O’Brien 6, A O’Brien 6, Meite 6, Gardner 6, Campo 7, Guthrie 4 (Giannokopoulos 77, 5), Nolan 6, McCann 6, Diouf 5 (Braaten 68, 5), Davies 5.

Subs not used: Hunt, Cid, Al Habsi.

REFEREE: Mike Riley 7. Showed common sense and authority during a niggly first half, although the temptation to show at least one red card must have been strong.

MATCH RATING: ** Not one of Arsenal’s better days but they will need to show this kind of grit if they are to last the course in the title race.